Striving for Imprefection: What’s your word?

Said a member returning to the meeting this week after disappearing during the holiday season, “I’m so glad it’s January so I can get back in control.”

It prompted a memory of watching the TV series, Gunsmoke, with my father when I was a small child. As one particular episode drew to a close, Festus, the disheveled, crabby and illiterate deputy, played by Ken Curtis, lamented, “I wish it was Saturday so I could take a bath.”

I’ve never understood what is the thing about waiting for a particular time in order to make a needed — even a desired — change. That’s why I’ve not ever been a fan of New Year Resolution mania. You want to alter your lifestyle? No problem; I applaud you. But don’t put it off. Just move forward.

Having put all that on the table, new years do provide excellent times to reflect and adjust. My wife and I have, for the last five years, sat down together early in the year and determined what we’d like to have accomplished before we meet again next year. (Um, just to clarify; we do meet more often than annually.) Our 2018 goals revolve around giving our house some much-needed TLC, both inside and out; as well as going somewhere warm; preferably on a beach; even more desirable on a tropical island; best yet off the grid.

Connected to our annual huddle, we select a word of the year; call it a theme if you wish. In 2014, it was “Prosperity.” The next year brought a similar concept, “Abundance,” followed by “Gratitude,” with 2017’s word being “Acceptance” (probably the most apropos choice of all considering how tumultuous was 2017).

For the coming year, we have chosen “Success.”

When my wife suggested it, I’ll admit that my mind first equated “success” with “money,” and whereby money obviously matters, I’m realizing as I’m getting older that I’m not that motivated by it. So, I was surprised by that gut-reflex as I don’t pair “prosperity” or “abundance” with a bank account. Upon taking a beat to rearrange my thoughts, I realized that “success” is individual. After all, I could name some morally bankrupt individuals boasting outsized bank balances and the word “success” doesn’t even appear on a list of adjectives I’d use to describe them. Conversely, there are many who lead a humble life and are indeed my examples of “success.”

Alas, I digress. Apparently, my wife and I are not unique in this annual tradition. Search “couples choosing a word of the year” on Google and you can begin sifting through almost 17 million results. Some of the more popular words are: “Act,” “Surrender,” “Love,” “Balance,” and “Persevere,” “Thrive,” and “Be.”

If you would like recommendations, there are websites to help you chose your own mot de l’année. One begins the process by having you ask yourself five questions:

What could I use more of in my life?

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What could I use less of in my life?

What characteristics would I like to have?

By the end of the day I feel (fill in the blank).

How do I want to feel?

From that starting point, it suggests you make a list of words. Circle three. Pick one. Put it on your bathroom mirror.

Others suggest ditching the whole new year resolution thing and simply coming up with your “one word.” There’s even a site that gives you a free “word-of-the-year worksheet.” Really overwhelmed? There’s a site that generates a word of the year for you — and for some odd reason, also determined a saint for you. (For the record, it chose “Bold” for my word and “Saint Vladimir I of Kiev” as my saint.) Label me “intrigued.”

I know that the month is half-over but it’s not too late to choose your own theme. Remember however, that words have consequences; choose wisely. You’re going to live with it for a year.

About the author:

About the author: Scott “Q” Marcus is a THINspirational speaker and author. Since losing 70 pounds over 23 years ago, he conducts speeches, workshops, and presentations. He also coaches individuals and consults with companies on how to implement and handle change. He can be reached at www.ThisTimeIMeanIt.com or 707.442.6243.